This invention relates generally to spray bottles, and more particularly to a grip for use in conjunction with a spray bottle.
Spray bottles are available in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and are used in a wide variety of applications. Some spray bottles have their contents pressurized, such as aerosol paint cans and the like, while other spray bottles have their contents expelled through a pump attached to the bottle, such as cleaning products and medicinal products. In the case of spray bottles containing liquid pharmaceutical products, it is often critical that a precise amount of the liquid pharmaceutical be dispensed each time the spray bottle is activated. Too much of the pharmaceutical product or drug may cause side effects, while too little of the drug may be ineffective. In the case of nasal spray bottles used for delivering a drug to a patient""s nasal passageways, a precise amount of the drug is typically delivered by a pump mechanism that must be precisely activated. The pump is usually activated by the user placing his thumb under the bottom of the bottle, placing two of his fingers on opposite sides of a finger flange disposed towards the top end of the bottle, and then squeezing such that the bottle bottom and the finger flange are drawn toward one another. Such movement activates the pump and expels a portion of the bottle""s contents.
In order to expel only a selected amount of the drug out of the bottle, the movement of the finger flange is limited by a stop positioned on the pump at a measured distance below the rest position of the finger flange. While the stop prevents spraying too large of a dose of the drug, the stop does not ensure that a complete dose is delivered. To ensure a complete dose, the finger flange must be pressed down both completely and evenly against the stop. If the finger flange is pressed down unevenly, then one side of the flange will contact the stop before the other, which may cause the user to prematurely terminate the squeezing of the finger flange and thereby deliver an incomplete dose. Similarly, if one of the user""s fingers should slip, an incomplete dose may be delivered. The proper use of the pump, therefore, requires correct positioning of the fingers on the finger flange and controlled, coordinated movement of the finger flange. While these requirements may be easily met by most adults, however, people with Parkinson""s disease or coordination difficulties, arthritics, stroke victims, or children all may find the proper use of a spray bottle difficult. A spray bottle that can be easily used by a wide variety of persons with varying physical conditions and of varying ages is, therefore, highly desirable.
The present invention overcomes the above described difficulties and provides an ergonomic and user-friendly device for activating spray bottles that can be more easily used by a wide variety of different people with different physical capabilities.
A grip for a bottle according to one aspect of the present invention includes a top wall defining an aperture and surrounded by a perimeter wall. At least two arms are attached to the perimeter wall and extend downwardly from the perimeter wall. At the end of each of the arms is a finger grip. In operation, the nozzle of a spray bottle is inserted through the aperture defined in the top wall until the top wall contacts the finger flange on the bottle. Thereafter, the user presses down on each of the finger grips while holding the bottom of the bottle which thereby activates the pump.
A bottle grip according to another aspect of the present invention includes a top defining a closed aperture. The closed aperture is dimensioned to telescopingly receive the nozzle on the bottle such that the top abuts the flange on the bottle. At least two arms are attached to the top and extend downwardly therefrom. Each of the arms terminates in a finger grip at an end opposite the top.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, a bottle grip includes an extension member integrally attached to a reciprocating member on the spray bottle. Relative movement of the reciprocating member with respect to the spray bottle activates a pump on the spray bottle. The grip further includes arms attached to opposite sides of the extension member and extending downwardly from the extension member toward the bottom of the bottle. A finger gripping surface is defined on each of the arms at an end opposite the extension member.
In other embodiments, the bottle grip includes an extension wall attached to the top and extending outwardly from the top in a plane generally parallel to the top. The extension wall is disposed between the arms and the top. The perimeter wall defines a first recess on its underside which includes a shoulder dimensioned to retain the finger flange on the bottle in the first recess with a snap fit. The aperture defined in the top may include a raised, annular lip surrounding the aperture. The underside of the lip defines a second recess which is dimensioned to conform to the shape of the nozzle of the bottle. The perimeter wall may also include a pair of long sides and a pair of short sides, with the extension walls extending outwardly from the long sides. Ribs or other frictional members may be defined on the finger grips to frictionally retain a user""s fingers.
The bottle grip of the present invention improves the ease of use of spray bottles in several respects, especially for nasal spray bottles used for delivering predetermined doses of drugs. The finger grips provide a larger surface for gripping, and in one embodiment may be curved, thereby reducing the potential of a finger slipping. The finger grips also extend outwardly a greater distance from the pump than the finger flange, thereby making it easier for a user to press downwardly in an even fashion. Furthermore, the downwardly extending arms of the grip position the finger grips closer to the bottom of the medicine bottle, thereby enabling a person with a smaller hand to more easily use the device. The fingers are also positioned further away from the nozzle of the pump, thereby allowing a greater freedom of movement of the nozzle. These and other objects, benefits, and features of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art, in light of the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.